Meet MISGIF | Phoenix Arizona photo booth rental business

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

After graduating Arizona State University’s Barrett Honors College in 2011, MISGIF CEO Jessie Whitfield began working in the nonprofit sector which eventually landed her in an event management and donor relations role where she was tasked with finding valuable ways to recognize event sponsors.

At the time, she noticed that photo booth companies only offered the option to include the event sponsor’s logo on the physical printed photo, which often were left at events and eliminated the opportunity for the sponsor’s logo to reach more eyes online. This led to a missed opportunity to not only increase awareness about the generous sponsor, but also the amazing work the nonprofit was doing in the community.

Because social media platforms like Instagram had yet to become a mainstream marketing tool in 2014 but were widely used by the community, it made Jessie question why a digital photo booth option that focused on social media sharing and GIFs (something that was becoming increasingly popular) were not being offered by Arizona photo booth companies.

ADVENTURES IN PHOTO BOOTH LAND

Fast forward to 2017, burnout from office politics and climbing the career ladder, Jessie decided to go all-in on her business idea and bootstrapped MISGIF, despite the desperate pleas from the people she loved that thought she was kind of crazy.

And so, MISGIF was founded in 2017 to help brands (including companies and nonprofits) reimagine how they connect with their audience and grow their organic reach and engagement in a more meaningful and memorable way.

Embracing sustainable event solutions and giving back to nonprofit organizations has always been close to Jessie’s heart (hence her distaste for wasteful printed photos left at events and passion for helping others in her community,) which led to MISGIF receiving its Green Business Certification in 2021 and the creation of its GIF Back Club in 2018 that allows MISGIF to donate a portion of profits from every event back to nonrprofits along with some other really cool, impactful stuff!

What started as a “what-if” solution to a problem (“what if we reimagined how photo booths were used and designed them specifically to help brands increase their reach, engagement, etc.?”) quickly evolved into a wild idea (“let’s start a business!”)and has now grown into a successful, six figure Arizona photo booth company with an incredible team and established small business with a track record for being a leader in the local events industry.

Since its inception, MISGIF has executed over 1,000 events and brand activations nationwide working alongside Fortune 100 companies with appearances at New York Fashion Week and the MGM Las Vegas, successfully introduced 15+ additional photo booth rental and video experiences as well as long-term leases for venues and photo booth sales, been voted “Best of Our Valley’s Arizona Photo Booth” by Arizona Foothills Magazine and recognized as an approved supplier of the Super Bowl LVII Business Connect program. Additionally, Jessie has served in marketing & communications roles on the boards of Arizona event industry organizations including Phoenix NACE and ILEA Arizona, receiving a Member of the Year Award for her outstanding service and has been recognized as one of 25 Entrepreneurs Shaping Arizona Business by the Arizona Central, a Dynamic Woman by Modern Luxury Scottsdale as well as featured in articles by Fast Company, PCMA and Brides for her innovative photo booth ideas.

It’s important to note, none of these accomplishments would have been possible without the support of her husband, family and friends as well as Jessie’s incredible team of MISGIF Makers, amazing clients and awesome event industry friends.